Article Package Comprising Partially Covering Flange and a Film Wrapping the Entire Package

ABSTRACT

A package ( 1 ) containing a set of side-by-side arranged articles ( 2 ) and a rigid or semi-rigid sidewall ( 14 ) comprises a front panel ( 15 ) covering the front end ( 8 ) of said set of articles, side panels ( 16, 17 ) which are arranged on both sides of the front panel and cover, respectively, two opposite sides ( 10, 11 ) of the set of articles which are adjacent to the front end ( 8 ), a removable shutter embodied at least partially in the front panel of the package in such a way that it makes it possible to access to the articles through front end ( 8 ) of the package, the sidewall ( 14 ) leaves the articles uncovered at least on one side ( 12 ) of the set of articles and a film ( 28 ) stretches the set of articles by covering at least the sides ( 10, 11 ) thereof over the side panels ( 16, 17 ).

The invention relates to the packaging of items. It relates more specifically to a package in which the items are kept grouped together and which comprise a detachable part to allow the items to be accessed so that they can be extracted.

Packages of this type are known, which comprise a cardboard wrapper in the form of a box containing the items, this box having, at one end, a flap that is detachable (either completely, or partially remaining attached to the remainder of the box by one edge) to allow the items to be dispensed. To illustrate this type of package, reference may in particular be made to American patents U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,736 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,639 (RIVERWOOD).

This type of package is found in particular in the agri-foodstuffs industry and more specifically in the packaging of drinks cans, where the package is used both (and this is its chief advantage) for packaging and for dispensing the cans.

In practice, this type of package has a certain number of disadvantages, both in respect of its manufacture and in respect of its use.

Looking first of all at its manufacture, it should be noted that a great deal of cardboard is needed to make the box. The amount needed is not restricted to the sum of the surface areas covering all of the faces of the group of items because it is also necessary to provide an amount of cardboard for the flaps and suchlike. In practice, this results, for each package, in an amount of cardboard equivalent to twice the total surface area of the package. In addition, the operations of folding and gluing the cardboard entail a complex and expensive installation.

Furthermore, because this type of package is intended to be handled individually, first of all for stacking shelves, then for consuming its contents, it needs to be rigid enough so that it can support the items. The cardboard chosen has therefore to have a high basis weight (generally in excess of 400 g/m²). Ultimately, the manufacture of this type of package is expensive both in terms of raw materials and in terms of production facilities.

Looking next at its use, the flatness of the faces of the package mean that there is a clearance between the cardboard (which is flat) and the items (which may be cylindrical as in the case of drinks cans). Indeed without this clearance, the cardboard would have a tendency to deform under the pressure of the items, to the detriment of the visual appearance of the package. However, because this clearance is present, the items have a tendency, when the package is being handled, to move around relative to one another and strike the walls of the box, which means that there is a risk that the box will be broken open if handled roughly.

It is a particular aim of the invention to solve the aforementioned problems by proposing a package for items grouped together, which allies simplicity and inexpensiveness of manufacture with effective retention of the items when the package is being handled while at the same time allowing the items to be extracted easily once the package is opened.

To this end, the invention proposes a package comprising:

-   -   a group of items positioned side by side in at least one row,         said items comprising a bottom and a top opposite one another         and connected by a body;     -   a flange made of a rigid or semirigid material, which comprises         a front panel and two side panels extending one on each side of         the front panel, said flange partially surrounding the group of         items; and     -   a film enclosing the group of items, at least partially covering         said group of items and at least partially covering said flange,         which package is, according to the invention, characterized in         that:     -   the front panel covers a front end of the group of items, said         front end being defined by a body of at least one end item in         the group;     -   the two side panels respectively cover two first opposite sides         of the group of items which are adjacent to said front end;     -   the flange leaves the items uncovered on at least a second side,         inserted between the aforementioned first sides, of the group of         items;     -   the flange comprises a detachable flap extending at least into         the front panel, to allow the items to be accessed via the front         end of the package; and     -   the film encloses the group of items covering at least its first         sides over the top of the side panels of the flange.

The film holds the group of items together, the flange having, once opened, the function of guiding the items as they are extracted. The flange can also be used for advertising purposes, which means that there is no need to print the film (this being an operation known to be particularly tricky and expensive).

This configuration is substantially less expensive than solutions of the “all cardboard” type; furthermore, it provides a more seemly look and better distribution of the items than solutions in which the items are simply wrapped in a plastic film.

In order to access the items and extract them from the package, all that is required is for the detachable flap to be torn away, the package then acting as a dispenser.

According to a preferred embodiment, the flange leaves uncovered two opposite second sides of the group of items which are inserted between the covered first sides.

A distal end of the group of items, at the opposite end to the front end, is preferably also left uncovered by the flange.

According to one embodiment, said first sides of the group of items are defined respectively by the opposite tops and the bottoms of the items and the side panels of the flange respectively cover the tops and the bottoms of the items.

Furthermore, the side panels may have a corrugated edge which more or less follows the curvature of the items so that the film hugs these items more closely.

The detachable flap for example comprises a part in the form of a tab made in one of the side panels, to make it easier to tear the flap off and, if appropriate, allow the first item to be extracted at the same time.

The items are, for example, arranged in two rows of superposed items.

The front panel preferably has a non-detachable strip of material that forms an end stop for the items, which are thus kept in the package until such a time as the user extracts them therefrom.

As a preference, the film does not cover the front end of the group of items, so as to make it easier to tear off the detachable flap.

According to one preferred embodiment, the flange is made of cardboard with a basis weight preferably in excess of 280 g/m². This basis weight is, for example, 320 g/m², or alternatively 380 g/m².

Furthermore, the flange may, to make it easier to grasp and to handle, have two retractable flaps formed in one of the side panels and delimited by cuts a concave side of which faces toward a distal end of the package, the opposite end to the front end.

The items may be containers. The items may have the overall shape of cylinders of revolution. In particular, they may be cylindrical cans containing drinks.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description given hereinafter with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a package of items according to the invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are views similar to FIG. 1 respectively illustrating the opening of the package and the extracting of an item therefrom;

FIGS. 4 to 6 are perspective views illustrating steps in the manufacture of the package of FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 depicts a package 1 comprising a group of items 2, containers here, in this instance drinks cans, arranged in two superposed rows, namely a top row 2 and a bottom row 4, with five containers each.

In the remainder of the description, the reference 2 will be used interchangeably to denote items or containers.

Each container 2 comprises a bottom 5, a top 6 (equipped, in the conventional way, with an opening plugged by a frangible seal) and a cylindrical body 7 connecting these. The containers 2 are, in each row 3, 4, arranged side by side, the two rows 3, 4 being vertically superposed, that is to say that each container 2 in the top row 3 is in contact with just one container 2 in the bottom row 4, and vice versa.

The group of containers 2, which here is of substantially parallelepipedal shape, has a front end 8, an opposite distal end 9, and four sides 10, 11, 12, 13 in opposing pairs connecting the ends. For the purpose of the description, the two opposing sides 10, 11 defined by the (substantially coplanar) bottoms 5 and the (again substantially coplanar) tops 6 of the containers 2 will be termed the lateral sides, and the two opposing sides 12, 13 connecting the lateral sides 10, 11 and defined by the bodies 7 of the containers 2 of the top row 3 and of the bottom row 4, respectively will be termed the top side and the underside respectively.

As depicted in FIG. 1, the package 1 comprises a flange 14 made of a rigid or semirigid material and comprising at least:

-   -   a substantially rectangular front panel 15 which covers the         front end 8 of the group of containers 2 being pressed against         the body 7 of the two superposed containers 2 located at this         front end 8, and     -   two side panels 16, 17 which extend on each side of the front         panel 15 and respectively cover the two lateral sides 10, 11 of         the group of items 2.

The side panels 16, 17 are attached to the front panel 15 by two lateral edges 18, 19 situated where the front end 8 meets the lateral sides 10, 11 of the group of items 2.

The flange 14 is preferably made of cardboard, with a basis weight preferably in excess of 280 g/m². According to one particular embodiment, the basis weight of the cardboard is 320 g/m²; it may equally be 380 g/m². As an alternative, the flange may be made of a plastic such as polypropylene.

According to a preferred embodiment illustrated in the figures, the flange 14 leaves uncovered, at least in part, the top side 12 of the group of items 2. More specifically, the top side 12, the underside 13 and the distal end 9 of the group of items 2 are left completely uncovered. In other words, the flange 14 has a U-shaped profile and partially envelops the group of items 2 along the lateral sides 10, 11 and the front end 8.

Furthermore, and as is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the flange 14 comprises a detachable flap 20 which comprises:

-   -   a rectangular first part 21 made in the front panel and         delimited by two precuts 22 formed on the lateral edges 18, 19         and by a precut 23 which connects the latter parallel to and in         the vicinity of a lower edge 24 of the front panel 15, and     -   a second part 25, made in a side panel 17, delimited by a         U-shaped precut 26 level with the end container 2 of the top row         3, this second part 25 being attached to the first part 21 by a         lateral edge 19 and forming a tab the purpose of which is to         make it easier to tear off the flap 20.

The front panel 15 comprises, along its side closest to the underside 24, a strip 27 of material, separated from the flap 20 by the precut 23 and which has a width (or, in the orientation of FIG. 1, a height) ranging between one third and one half of the diameter of the containers 2. This strip 27, the benefit of which we shall see later, remains attached to the side panels 16, 17, to which it connects, after the detachable flap 20 has been torn off.

The package 1 finally comprises a film 28 which envelops the group of items 2 (the group of containers in the example illustrated) to hold it together, covering at least its lateral sides 10, 11, its top side 12, and its underside 13, over the top of the side panels 16, 17. The film 28 may also at least partially cover the front panel 15; if it does, it will preferably be provided with a precut delimiting a detachable part that will be torn off at the same time as the flap 20. However, according to a preferred embodiment, the film 28 leaves the front end 8 (and therefore the front panel 15) uncovered, the edges 29 of the film being, as illustrated in FIG. 1, set back slightly from the front panel 15.

The film 28 in this instance is a plastic film (such as a polyethylene film) that has been heat-shrunk and which, in those parts of the containers 2 that are not covered by the flange (on the top side 12 and underside 13 and, as appropriate, at the distal end 9), substantially hugs the containers 2. On the lateral sides 10, 11 by contrast, the presence of the side panels 16, 17 prevents the film 28 from hugging the containers 2 and from even partially filling the hollows defined between them.

According to a preferred embodiment illustrated in the figures, the side panels 16, 17 have straight top edges 30 which run substantially in the plane tangential to the bodies 7 of the containers 2 of the top row 3. The film 28 is therefore forced to extend, along these top edges 30, in this tangential plane but, because of its elasticity, it does, by contrast, have a tendency, a certain distance from these same edges 30, to hug the bodies 7 of the containers 2 and therefore exhibits corrugations 31 of a small amplitude.

As is also visible in the figures, the side panels 16, 17 preferably, on the opposite side to the top edges 30, have corrugated bottom edges 32 which locally follow the circular curvature of the containers 2, at their tops 6. In that way, the film 28 hugs the containers 2 more closely on the underside 13 than on the top side 12, the bottom row 4 thus being held more firmly than the top row 3.

In order to extract the containers 2 from the package 1 it is possible to proceed as follows, assuming that the package 1 is lying flat on its underside 13, with the containers 2 lying down, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3.

Starting out with the package 1 closed as depicted in FIG. 3, the first thing is to tear off the detachable flap 20 by pressing the tab-shaped second part 25 toward the inside of the package 1 to detach it from the rest of the side panel 17, then pulling on it to detach the rest of the flap 20 along its precuts 22, 23 (FIG. 2). Detaching the flap 20 thus allows the items 2 to be accessed via the front end 8 of the package 1.

The end container 2 of the top row 3 is then extracted, the end container 2 of the bottom row 4 being held in place by the strip 27 which acts as an end stop. The other containers 2 of the top row 3 then shift together toward the front end 8 in order, by toppling, to position themselves in a staggered configuration with respect to the containers 2 of the bottom row 4 (FIG. 2). In this configuration, the containers 2 of the top row 3 are separated from the film 28. If the containers 2 fail to reposition themselves automatically upon extraction of the first of their number, because they are held too tightly by the film 28, all that is required is for the last container 2 of the top row 3 to be struck (at the distal end 9) and knocked toward the front end 8, in order to force them to topple into position.

The containers 2 can then be extracted one by one either from the top row 3 or, more simply, by systematically taking the end container 2 from the bottom row 4, lying against the end stop formed by the strip 27. In so doing, the weight of the containers 2 in the top row 3 causes the containers 2 in the bottom row 4 to rearrange themselves, these automatically shifting toward the front end 8 until one of them (or a container 2 from the top row 3) becomes positioned against the end stop formed by the strip 27 taking the place of the container 2 that has just been extracted.

It can be seen that the package 1, through its design, acts as a dispenser of the containers 2. The containers 2 are guided by the side panels 16, 17, the parallelism of which is maintained by the containers 2 themselves which act as spacer pieces and by the film 28 which, even after the first few containers 2 have been extracted, maintains a certain rigidity and therefore tends to retain its initial shape.

It should be noted that the extracting of the first container 2 (the end container 2 of the top row 3 as we have seen) can be performed at the same time as the detachable flap 20 is torn off: to do that, all that is required is for the container 2 to be tilted as the tab is being pulled.

Furthermore, as visible in FIG. 1, the side wall 2 may comprise two half-moon-shaped frangible flaps 33 formed in a side panel 17 and each delimited by a semi-circular cut 34 with the concave side facing toward the distal end 9 and the opposing ends connected by a straight fold line 35. Under the pressure exerted by a user's fingers (for example the index and middle finger), the flaps 33 are retracted into the inside of the package 1 by pivoting about the fold line 35, making the package easier to grasp, for example to extract it from a supermarket shelf. The flaps 33 are preferably positioned in line with gaps between the containers 2, so as to leave enough space for the passage of fingers.

Given their orientation, the flaps 33, even retracted, do not impede the extraction of the containers 2; under the pressure of these containers (either if extracted directly from the package 1 or as they progressively shift toward the front end 8), the flaps 13 are simply pushed forward, pivoting about their fold line 35.

The package 1 just described in particular has the following specific features and advantages.

Firstly, the flange 14 does not hold the items 2 together; this is done by the film 28 which envelops both the items 2 and the flange 14 (at least in the region of its side panels 16, 17).

Secondly, the amount of material needed to make the flange 14 is less than half the external surface area of the group of items 2. This results in substantial cost savings. It is also possible to use the flange 14 for communications purposes, to provide the visual appearance of the package: it is indeed conceivable for commercial information to be printed on the outer face of the panels 15, 16, 17 without the need to print the film 28, which can therefore be transparent with no inscriptions on it. This transparency has the advantage of allowing direct visual access to the items 2 (particularly via the top side 12), something which in the eyes of certain consumers may be much appreciated.

Thirdly, because the items 2, before the package 1 is opened, are kept firmly grouped together by the film 28, there is not any clearance to speak of in the package 1, which means that rough movements in handling will not cause the package to burst open.

It should be noted that although the items 2 in the package that has just been described are containers, they could be any other types of item: cans of preserves, drinks cans, glasses, jars, batteries, etc.

Furthermore, the configuration that has just been set out (namely two superposed rows 3, 4 of five items 2) is given purely by way of example. It is possible in particular to envisage a different number of rows and a different number of items per row. Likewise, it is not compulsory for the rows all to comprise the same number of items. In other words, the overall shape of the group of items 2 is not necessarily parallelepipedal. This shape could, in particular, have a trapezoidal or triangular profile. Of course, it would be necessary to adapt the shape of the panels 15, 16, 17.

A method of manufacturing the package 1 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6.

To begin with, the containers 2, directed vertically, are grouped together in the desired configuration (in this instance, in two rows 3, 4 of five containers 2 each).

The group of items 2 thus formed is placed (for example simply slid) onto the flange 14 (laid flat) so that the items 2 rest by their bottoms 5 on the corresponding side panel 16 (FIG. 4). The front panel 15 followed by the other side panel 17 are then bent up at right angles against the front end 8 and against the tops of the items 2, respectively (FIG. 5).

Finally, everything is overwrapped with a plastic film 28 from a reel (not depicted), the covering with film 28, where the latter is welded, being performed on the underside 13 of the group of items 2 (FIG. 6). The whole entity is finally passed through a tunnel oven (not depicted) in which the film 28 is heat-shrunk to envelop the containers 2 and the flange 14 tightly and jointly, which flange thus finds itself firmly held in place. If the film 28 hugs the corrugations of the underside 32 of the side panels 16, 17 then it becomes all the more difficult to remove the flange 14.

The method which has just been described can in particular be performed in a conventional wrapping machine (such as the weldless wrapping machine proposed by CERMEX under the trade name TS EVOLUTION 3) to which a flat flange supply station and a station for folding the flanges up around the containers is added. 

1-15. (canceled)
 16. A package comprising: a group of items positioned side by side in at least one row, said items comprising a bottom and a top opposite one another and connected by a body, said group of items, when considered in the position of use, comprising two opposed lateral sides defined respectively by the bottoms and the tops of the items and two opposed sides these respectively being the top side and the underside, and two respectively front and distal opposed sides defined by the bodies of the items; a flange made of a rigid or semirigid material, which comprises a front panel and two side panels extending one on each side of the front panel, said flange partially surrounding the group of items with its front panel covering the front side of the group of items; and a film surrounding the group of items, covering the lateral sides and the top side and underside of said group of items, passing over the tops of the side panels of said flange; wherein the flange has a U-shaped overall profile defined by three panels, namely the aforementioned front panel and the two aforementioned side panels which respectively cover the two lateral sides of the group of items; wherein the flange leaves the items uncovered on at least one of the sides which are the top side and the underside of the group of items; wherein the side panels of the flange possess, on one side of the group of items, respective edges facing each other which are straight and extend substantially in the plane tangential to the bodies of the items; and wherein the front panel of the flange is at least partially produced in the form of a flap that is detachable so as to allow the items to be accessed via the front end of the package.
 17. The package as claimed in claim 16, wherein said flange leaves the two sides that are the top side and the underside of the group of items uncovered.
 18. The package as claimed in claim 16, wherein said flange leaves uncovered the distal end of the group of items.
 19. The package as claimed in claim 16, wherein the side panels of the flange have, on the opposite side to said straight edges, corrugated respective edges which respectively more or less follow the shapes of the bottoms and of the tops of the items.
 20. The package as claimed in claim 16, wherein the detachable flap comprises at least one part in the form of a tab made in at least one side panel of the flange.
 21. The package as claimed in claim 16, comprising two rows of superposed items.
 22. The package as claimed in claim 16, wherein the front panel of the flange has a non-detachable strip of material that forms an end stop for the items when the detachable flap has been detached.
 23. The package as claimed in claim 16, wherein said flange is made of cardboard.
 24. The package as claimed in claim 23, wherein said cardboard has a basis weight in excess of 280 g/m².
 25. The package as claimed in claim 24, wherein said cardboard has a basis weight of 320 g/m².
 26. The package as claimed in claim 24, wherein said cardboard has a basis weight of 380 g/m².
 27. The package as claimed in claim 16, wherein said flange has two retractable flaps formed in a side panel and delimited by cuts a concave side of which faces toward the distal end, of the group of items.
 28. The package as claimed in claim 16, wherein said items are containers.
 29. The package as claimed in claim 16, wherein said items have substantially the overall shape of cylinders of revolution.
 30. The package as claimed in claim 28, wherein said containers have substantially the overall shape of cylinders of revolution and wherein said containers are cylindrical cans containing drinks. 